Selena Gomez is busy. Like, IDK-how-the-she-does-it busy. In between dropping her third album, Rare, in January and collabing with K-pop group Blackpink on “Ice Cream,” the 28-year-old is gearing up to launch a project that’s been two years in the making: Rare Beauty, a 16-piece makeup collection that launches at Sephora on September 3. And, as someone who’s sat in a makeup chair for more than half of her life (seriously, she’s been working in the industry since she was seven), it’s unsurprising that she knows what she’s doing—especially when it comes to the collection itself.
Each product is smartly curated and designed, like a liquid highlighter that has a cushy doe-foot applicator, a creamy matte lipstick that doesn’t dry your lips out, and a lightweight foundation that also comes in 48 shades. But for Selena, it’s not just about making really good makeup: One percent of all sales will also go to The Rare Impact Fund, which aims to raise $100 million for mental health services in underserved communities.
And if her schedule wasn’t packed enough, Selena fit me in for a quick Zoom sesh last week to tell me all about the collection (including, yup, her favourite products from the line). Keep reading for everything you need to know about Rare Beauty, and do yourself a favour and set an alert for September 3. You’re gonna want to shop these picks as soon as they officially drop at Sephora.
On entering the beauty space:
“There are so many different facets of my life and all of the things I’ve been a part of are genuinely what comes to me—what comes to my art. I think that this is something beyond makeup. I got to sit and create with this amazing team something that I’m so proud of, something I wear everyday, something I’m confident in knowing, hopefully, people will try and enjoy, or they’ll have different ways of trying it on and having their own fun with it.”
On her relationship with makeup:
“This area has always been a part of my life. I’ve been working since I was seven. And as I got older and started working on my show [Wizards of Waverly Place], it was such an important part of my character. And then music became a part of my life, and I realized [makeup] was crucial to the entire story of a music video. But I started noticing when I would get to the place where I’d compare myself to other people or when I’d look in the mirror and think, ‘Okay, what can I do to look this way?’
“I’ve gotten insecure. I also have lupus so I fluctuate in my weight a lot, so I’ve had to learn pretty early to have thick skin when it comes to this stuff and to understand that it doesn’t matter at all. It’s just hateful. It’s all it is. So I wanted to find a way to make this brand into a community—into a lifestyle that’s beyond makeup and showing you how to apply it. It’s about talking about makeup and the relationship you have [with it]. I don’t want this to be about me. I know obviously it’s created by me, but I would be more proud to see the mission we have behind it as well as enjoy it.”
On her favourite products from the line:
“I love my Soft Pinch Liquid Blush—the pigment is super strong, so you can actually just use a dot and it will blend really well. It kind of comes off intense at first, but that just makes it melt into your skin more. Blush is just that little thing that wakes you up. Even if I have no makeup on, it’s always that something that makes me feel a little alive after a flight or after a long day.
“And then, of course, my Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream. It’s so much fun, I love having people try on all the different colors. I always, always do a red lip—it’s a staple of mine. And I’m excited about how this was created because it’s like a mousse but it’s also a stain. You can just apply it every now and then to the middle [of your lips] and it’s pretty much stuck with you.”
On what’s next for Rare Beauty:
“We have already been planning everything that comes after this—and that’s been great. I definitely know what we’re going towards and the goal will just be to create more products that are easy. There will be more and I’m excited about it because we’ve been working on it for a while. Quarantine was an opportunity to take our time with the next collection as well.”